North Western Railway
* Knapford |stations= * 28 |built_by=North Western Railway Company |owned_by= * British Railways * Independent |controller= * Sir Topham Hatt * Sir Charles Topham Hatt * Sir Stephen Topham Hatt |gauge= |year_opened=1915 |year_closed= |image2=File:SodorrailwaysAmosWolfe.jpg |caption2=A map of Sodor's railway network in the style of Amos Wolfe }} The North Western Railway (abbreviated as NWR) is the main standard gauge rail network on the Island of Sodor. From nationalisation on January 1st 1948 until privatisation in 1997, it was the North Western Region of British Railways. History ''The Railway Series The North Western Railway was formed in 1914 by the Government sponsored amalgamation of the three standard gauge railways on the island - The Sodor & Mainland, the Wellsworth & Suddery and the Tidmouth, Knapford & Elsbridge, the latter two already in the process of amalgamation - as a strategic railway for coastal defence against possible danger from Ireland. Albert Regaby, Lord Harwick, always maintained that his gift to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, of a copy of the ''History of the Island of Sodor, which lays great emphasis on the importance of Sodor as an outpost in the direction of Ireland, was the deciding factor that led to the formation of the NWR. Lord Harwick was appointed Chairman, while Mr Topham Hatt, formerly of the TK&ER, was appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer, and the NWR began operating in 1915. Much construction work was needed in order to connect the three absorbed railways and meet the Admiralty's requirements. The NWR cut a single bore tunnel through the Ballahoo Ridge, allowing it to extend to Vicarstown, where it established its Administrative Headquarters and main Motive Power Depot. A rolling lift bridge, designed by Topham Hatt, was subsequently erected across the Walney Channel, finally connecting Sodor with the Mainland. Repair shops were also established at Crovan's Gate, while much of the routes of the former railways were converted from single to double track. In 1916, the NWR constructed a single line extension of the Main Line up to Arlesburgh by Government Order. The line was a key part of the NWR's obligations as a strategic railway, for it allowed the Admiralty to regularly patrol the West Coast of the island with armoured trains. It was originally intended to reach Harwick, but by the time Arlesburgh was reached, the immediate threat had passed and further extension was dropped. Apart from the four "Coffee Pots" of the TK&ER and the four 0-6-0 tank engines of the W&SR, the NWR when formed had no locomotives of its own. Throughout the First World War it was worked with locomotives and rolling stock borrowed from the Midland and the Furness Companies, such as Edward. It also acquired a tank engine from the LB&SCR named Thomas. By 1921 most of these locomotives had to be returned, and replacements needed to be found. This was a time of great difficulty for the NWR as with the end of the War the NWR's military value was ended and Government support withdrawn. This resultec in a locomotive crisis, and Mr Topham Hatt, now also a Director, was placed in charge of finding new motive power. In 1921, he attempted to buy a Robinson Atlantic, but ended up with Henry, an engine riddled with flaws, while in 1923 he acquired Gordon and James, both experimental prototypes. In 1923 came the Grouping, and the NWR was threatened with either closure or absorption into the LMS system. The NWR Board, however, led by their Chairman Lord Harwick believed in the Railway’s future and fought off the plans. In this they were ably backed by the new General Manager, Topham Hatt, and to such good purpose that by 1925 the LMS had been brought to terms, and the NWR was enabled to maintain its identity. The agreement with the LMS granted the NWR Running Powers across the Vicarstown Bridge into Barrow-in-Furness, and also began a joint suburban service between Barrow and Norramby, at the cost of the NWR curtailing a steamer service between Kirk Ronan and Dublin it had launched in 1920. Also in 1923, following an agreement with the Peel Godred Power Company, the NWR constructed a branch line from Killdane to Peel Godred to serve the Sodor Aluminium Works, using powers it had inherited from the S&MR. Due to the heavy gradients, the branch line is unique for being worked by electric locomotives. While the branch has provided steady revenue to the NWR, it resulted in the closure of the Mid Sodor Railway. The following year, 1924, the NWR entered an agreement with Jabez Croarie to extend its Elsbridge Branch Line to Ffarquhar to service the Anopha Quarry, providing a new source of traffic. ''Thomas & Friends Routes * The Main Line * Norramby Branch Line * Kirk Ronan Branch Line * Peel Godred Branch Line * Brendam Branch Line * Ffarquhar Branch Line * The Little Western In the television series, the railway also has the following lines: * Quarry Branch Line * Ulfstead Branch Line * Toby's Branch Line * The Loop Line * The Main Line Loop * Stepney's Branch Line * Misty Valley Branch Line * Killdane Branch Line * Harwick Branch Line The Engines Steam Engines File:MainThomasCGI.png|Thomas File:MainEdwardCGI.png|Edward File:MainHenryCGI.png|Henry File:MainGordonCGI2.png|Gordon File:MainJamesCGI2.png|James File:MainPercyCGI.png|Percy File:MainTobyCGI.png|Toby File:MainDuckCGI.png|Duck File:MainDonaldCGI.png|Donald File:MainDouglasCGI.png|Douglas File:mainOliverCGI.png|Oliver Diesel Engines File:MainDaisyCGI.png|Daisy File:MainBoCoModel.png|BoCo Railway Series Only Steam Engines File:NoImagePlaceholder.png|Barry File:NoImagePlaceholder.png|The Austerity Engine Diesel/Electric Engines File:BearRWS.png|Bear File:TheWorksDiesel.png|The Works Diesel File:Pip.png|Pip File:Emma.png|Emma File:NoImagePlaceholder.png|The Peel Godred Engines * According to The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, the North Western Railway has at least a total of ''eighty locomotives, the vast majority of which are undocumented in the Railway Series. Television Series Only Steam Engines File:MainBillCGI.png|Bill File:MainBenCGI.png|Ben File:MainHarveyCGI.png|Harvey File:MainEmilyCGI.png|Emily File:MainFergusModel.png|Fergus File:ArthurModel.png|Arthur File:MurdochModel.png|Murdoch File:MollyModel2.png|Molly File:NevilleModel.png|Neville File:MainRosieCGI2.png|Rosie File:MainWhiffCGI.png|Whiff File:MainBillyModel.png|Billy File:MainStanleyCGI2.png|Stanley File:MainHankCGI.png|Hank File:MainFloraCGI.png|Flora File:MainVictorCGI2.png|Victor File:MainCharlieCGI.png|Charlie File:MainBashCGI.png|Bash File:MainDashCGI.png|Dash File:MainFerdinandCGI.png|Ferdinand File:MainScruffCGI.png|Scruff File:MainBelleCGI.png|Belle File:MainPorterCGI.png|Porter File:MainTimothyCGI.png|Timothy File:MainMarionCGI.png|Marion File:MainGlynnCGI.png|Glynn (formerly) File:RyanCGI.png|Ryan File:MainNiaCGI.png|Nia File:MainRebeccaCGI.png|Rebecca Diesel/Electric Engines File:MainDieselCGI.png|Diesel File:MainMavisCGI.png|Mavis File:MainDerekModel.png|Derek File:'Arry.png|'Arry File:MainIronBertCGI.PNG|Bert File:MainDiesel10CGI.png|Diesel 10 File:SaltyCGI3.png|Salty File:MainDennisModel.png|Dennis File:MainDenCGI.png|Den File:DartCGI.png|Dart File:CGISidney.png|Sidney File:CGIPaxton.png|Paxton File:MainNormanCGI.png|Norman File:PhilipCGI.png|Philip File:MainStaffordCGI.png|Stafford Other File:MainHugoCGI.png|Hugo File:CGIFlynn.png|Flynn File:MainWinstonCGI.png|Winston File:Skiff(blue).png|Skiff Rolling Stock MainAnnieCGI.png|Annie MainClarabelCGI.png|Clarabel File:HenriettaCGI.png|Henrietta MainToadCGI.png|Toad Television Series Only File:DuckandtheSlipCoaches52.png|Slip Coach 1 File:DuckandtheSlipCoaches99.png|Slip Coach 2 File:DuckandtheSlipCoaches100.png|Slip Coach 3 MainHannahCGI.png|Hannah File:DexterCGI.png|Dexter File:JudyCGI.png|Judy File:MainJeromeCGI.png|Jerome Trivia * In the television series, Diesel, Mavis, Bill, Ben and Stepney are owned by the North Western Railway despite being owned by British Railways and private railways respectively in The Railway Series. The Skarloey Railway was under the same management as the NWR from its introduction in the fourth season until the introduction of Mr. Percival in the ninth season. * The Adventure Begins marked the first time the name North Western Railway was stated in the TV series. Some merchandising and promotional material had previously referred to it as Sodor Railways. * Rosie and Rebecca are the only engines to have the railway's acronym displayed on them. Other File:NorthWesternRailwayposter.jpg|A North Western Railway poster from the Surprise Packet File:SodorRailwaysPoster.png|A poster for "Sodor Railways" Category:Railways Category:North Western Railway